Course Syllabus

Journalism

Mr. McCord and Ms. Shaffer

“The purpose of journalism,” write Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in The Elements of Journalism, “is not defined by technology, nor by journalists or the techniques they employ.” Rather, “the principles and purpose of journalism are defined by something more basic: the function news plays in the lives of people."

The purpose of journalism is thus to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments.

In a given month students will be responsible for submitting a minimum of three pages to the current edition. Pages can be a variety of mediums, such as photographs, articles, editorials, reviews, etc...

Apart from ideation and completion of the task, students will also be in charge of design and layout for the monthly edition.  The design process will be completed within Adobe InDesign or Photoshop. Furthermore, class materials, such as drafts of articles, photos, and design files will be housed in the Team Google Drive. Currently Canvas serves as assignment organization and a gradebook for the class.